Hard surface disinfection system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for disinfecting hard surfaces in an area such as a hospital room including a light source emitting UV light and a reflector mounted behind the light source for concentrating and directing the light toward a target. The light source and reflector rotate to direct the concentrated beam around a room, thereby making more efficient use of the energy being emitted.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/939,068 filed Mar. 28, 2018 entitled HardSurface Disinfection System And Method, which is a continuation of andclaims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/384,575 filedDec. 20, 2016 entitled Hard Surface Disinfection System And Method (nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,950,088 B2 issued Apr. 24, 2018), which is acontinuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/687,821 filed Apr. 15, 2015 entitled Hard Surface Disinfection SystemAnd Method (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,555,144 B2 issued Jan. 31, 2017), whichis a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/756,368 B2 filed Jan. 31, 2013 entitled Hard Surface DisinfectionSystem And Method (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,023,274 B2 issued May 5, 2015),which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/593,182 filed Jan. 31, 2012, entitled Hard Surface DisinfectionSystem And Method, both of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Contrary to the progress made in overall healthcare, the problemsassociated with health care-associated infections have grown steadilyworse. Furthermore, the emergence of multi-drug resistant bacteria andspore “Super Bugs” and their presence in the hard surface environmentare recognized as a significant threat in the transmission of infectiousdisease and associated mortality. Numerous scientifically peer-reviewedstudies support the role of the environment in disease transmission. Inrecognition of this data, thorough disinfection of hard surfaces is aneffective and evidence-based way to reduce the presence of theseorganisms that cause infections and mortality.

Published data reviewing the effectiveness of health care cleaningindicate that greater than 50% of patient room surfaces are noteffectively cleaned and/or disinfected after a patient is dischargedfrom the institution. Similar data reflect cleaning proficiency innon-health care environments. As a result, clinicians, health carepersonnel, visitors, and patients come in contact with bacteria orspores that remain in the room from a prior patient.

Introducing UV-C energy is an evidence-based way to manage the presenceof bacteria and spore—including multi-drug resistant organisms.Disinfecting hard surfaces, such as those found in patient areas, can beperformed by exposing the hard surfaces to UVC energy that is harmful tomicro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and spore. Ultravioletgermicidal irradiation (UVGI) is proven sterilization method that usesultraviolet (UV) energy at sufficiently short wavelengths to break-downand eradicate these organisms. It is believed that the short wavelengthradiation destroys organisms at a micro-organic level. It is alsobelieved that UV energy works by destroying the nucleic acids in theseorganisms, thereby causing a disruption in the organisms' DNA. Once theDNA (or RNA) chain is disrupted, the organisms are unable to causeinfection.

In addition to the effectiveness described above, there are advantagesto using UV-C energy alone or in concert with other disinfectionmodalities. UV-C requires only electricity; there is no off-gassing ofchemicals frequently associated with chemical based products. In theevent a room must be occupied immediately, the introduction of UV-Cenergy can be immediately terminated and the room immediately occupied.Alternative disinfection modalities, on the other hand, often result inlingering chemicals or agents that must be cleared from the room priorto entry. UV-C energy leaves no residue, does not require drying time,cannot be spilled, requires little manpower to apply, requires verylittle skill on the part of the operator, and uses long-lasting bulbsthat require very little inventory management.

Using UV-C energy to disinfect hard surfaces does present some uniqueproblems. For example, two primary challenges impact efficacy and energydelivery of UV-C energy: shadows and distance. UV-C emitters may not beable to eradicate bacteria in shadowed areas because the energy isdelivered along a line-of-sight. Though reflected UV-C light may havesome disinfecting ability, the amount of reflected energy depends on thesurface from which the light is reflected and cannot be relied upon toadequately disinfect a shadowed area. As such, shadowed areas must beeliminated for effective disinfection. In addition, the UV-C emittingsource may itself create shadows. As such, one must consider addressthese shadows for effective delivery of UV-C energy.

Second, the attempt to introduce UV-C energy to a space is dramaticallyimpacted by the Inverse Square Law. This Law states that the intensityof the energy delivered to a surface is proportional to the inverse ofthe square of the distance between the energy source and the object. Inother words, the energy received from the UV emitting source decreasesexponentially as the distance is increased. Thus, if one object is twiceas far away from a light source as another object, the further objectreceives only one quarter the energy as the closer object. Knowingspecific energy levels are required to eradicate specific organism, thiscan dramatically impact efficacy.

Third, UV light sources strong enough to kill bacteria can draw asubstantial amount of electricity and generate heat.

As such, there is a need for a UV hard-surface disinfection system thatexploits the advantages of UV energy, while also addressing theaforementioned problems.

More specifically, there is a need for a UV hard-surface disinfectionsystem that maximizes the effectiveness of the energy being emitted fromits bulbs while eliminating shadows and reaching all surfaces in atreated area despite fall-off due to distances from the light source(s).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a UV hard-surfacedisinfection system that is able to disinfect the hard surfaces in aroom, while minimizing missed areas due to shadows. In one embodiment, asystem is provided that includes multiple UV light towers. These towerscan be placed in several areas of a room, or moved around duringtreatment, such that nearly all shadowed areas are eliminated.

Another aspect of the invention provides a UV hard-surface disinfectionsystem that maximizes the efficacy of the light being emitted byincluding a reflector that focuses the light in a given direction,thereby ensuring that enough light hits a surface to provide aneffective bacteria killing dose, and also increasing the effective rangeof the UV bulbs.

Another aspect of the invention provides a UV hard-surface disinfectionsystem that includes a motorized reflector that rotates around a bulb orbulbs, such that the light emitted from the lamps is not only focusedand concentrated, but it is also rotated around the room being treated,thus maximizing the utility of the energy used and eliminating shadowsthat may be created by the device itself

Another aspect of the invention provides a cooling fan used to cool theUV bulbs, thereby increasing the life of the bulbs and managing optimaltemperature for optimal output.

In yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a UVdisinfection system that minimizes UV light exposure to humans duringoperation. In a preferred embodiment, the system is able to becontrolled remotely, such that during activation of the system, nooperator is present in the room.

Another aspect of the invention provides a system in which one or alltowers are outfitted with safety devices that cut power to all towers inthe event that a person enters the room. More preferably, the safetydevice includes motion-detecting capability, such that the safetyshutdown response is automatic. Examples of motion-detection sensorsinclude infra-red sensor and laser scanners.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a linking connectorthat is constructed and arranged to join two towers together. Multiplelinking connectors may be used to create a train of towers used totransport a plurality of towers. The advantage of this linkage connectoris the UV-C emitters can be easily moved from each desired treatmentarea while maintaining critical hallway egress to ensure building codesare not breached by the presence of other equipment. The connector maybe operated and positioned easily by a single operator. Alternatively,the towers may be linked together with the connector to form a chain.This embodiment allows the towers to support themselves continuously,while being transported by pushing or pulling the emitters. Thisembodiment also allows the use of a hand-cart attachment, which providesa solution to moving all of the units from one room to another withoutrequiring that they be moved individually.

Another aspect of the invention provides a scanning system that scans aroom to be treated and determines how long the system must be energizedin order to effectively treat the room.

Another aspect of the invention provides a system whereby multipletowers can detect each other and their respective locations in a room,as well as other objects, and the towers can then use this informationto compute exposure times that are inversely proportional to thesedistances.

Another aspect of the invention provides an algorithm that adjusts thespeed of rotation of a reflector/lamp combination to achieve desiredenergy densities on room surfaces. This differential rotation of thelamp/reflector pair allows towers to normalize exposure on roomsurfaces, thereby ensuring that all surfaces achieve approximately equalexposure. This results in minimum total exposure times to treat a roomor an area of a room. The algorithm further factors the locations ofother towers and the energy those towers are contributing to the energyfalling into any given area in the room. The exposure times are thenadjusted for each tower to account for the additive exposure frommultiple towers to result in a minimized exposure time used to sanitizethe room.

As such, the present invention provides the following: a device fordisinfecting an area comprising: a base assembly; at least one emitterof energy attached to said base assembly; a reflector proximallyassociated with said emitter; wherein said reflector directs energy fromsaid emitter onto an area to be disinfected; and a motor configured torotate said reflector relative to said base assembly.

In one embodiment, the base assembly comprises a fan.

In this or another embodiment, the base assembly comprises said motor.

In this or another embodiment, the at least one emitter of energycomprises at least one emitter of ultraviolet light.

In this or another embodiment, the at least one emitter of ultravioletlight comprises at least one UV-C lamp.

In this or another embodiment, the base assembly comprises an antennausable to establish communication with a remote control device.

In this or another embodiment, the antenna comprises an antenna useablefor communication using Bluetooth® wireless technology.

In this or another embodiment, the reflector comprises a parabolicreflector.

The present invention also provides a method of disinfecting adesignated area comprising: placing at least one emitter of energy in aroom, said emitter configured to emit disinfecting energy in a form of abeam; rotating said beam in a circle until a desired amount of energyhas been delivered to surfaces in said room.

In this or another embodiment, the method further comprises controllinga rate at which said beam rotates based on distances measured from saidemitter to various objects to be disinfected in said room.

In this or another embodiment, placing at least one emitter of energy ina room comprises placing a plurality of emitters of energy in a room.

In this or another embodiment, controlling rates at which beams of eachof said plurality of emitters rotate based on distances measured fromsaid emitters to various objects to be disinfected in said room.

In this or another embodiment, controlling rates at which beams of eachof said plurality of emitters rotate is further based on distancesmeasured between said plurality of emitters.

The present invention also provides a system for disinfecting an areacomprising: a plurality of devices, each comprising: a base assembly; atleast one emitter of energy attached to said base assembly; a reflectorproximally associated with said emitter; wherein said reflector directsenergy from said emitter onto an area to be disinfected; and a motorconfigured to rotate said reflector relative to said base assembly.

In this or another embodiment each of said plurality of devices furthercomprises a sensor usable to determine distances to objects surroundingsaid device.

In this or another embodiment each of said plurality of devices furthercomprises a sensor usable to determine distances to other of saidplurality of devices.

In this or another embodiment the system further comprises linkconnectors usable to join two of said plurality of devices together.

In this or another embodiment each of said plurality of devicescomprises an electronic control circuit that controls a rate of rotationof said reflector via said motor.

In this or another embodiment said rate of rotation is calculated basedon locations of other of said plurality of said devices.

In this or another embodiment each of said plurality of said devicescomprises an antenna usable to communication with a remote controllerfor receiving instructions therefrom.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1a is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 1b is an elevation view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1c is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base of an embodiment of the presentinvention with a cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base of an embodiment of the presentinvention with some components removed to show inner components;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a reflector motor of an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective views of an upper portion of an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an upper portion of an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of three devices of the invention connectedtogether to form a chain of devices for transport purposes.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Theterminology used in the detailed description of the embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limitingof the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 a-c, there is shown an embodiment of a device100 of the invention. Device 100 is a light tower that generallyincludes a base assembly 110, a lamp assembly 150, a cap assembly 200,and a hand rail 250. The device 100 is configured for use with acomputer application for controlling one or more devices. Theapplication is downloadable and useable on a portable device such as asmart phone or tablet. It is to be understood that in use, it ispossible to use several devices 100 simultaneously in order to treat anarea large enough to merit the use of more than one device 100.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an embodiment of a base assembly110 of the invention. Beginning at the bottom of the base assembly 110,the device 100 includes at least three, preferably four or more wheels112. The wheels 112 are preferably mounted on swiveling casters suchthat the device 100 may be moved easily from room to room during acleaning operation. The wheels are mounted on a base housing 114, whichincludes a removable panel 116, shown in FIG. 1 but removed in FIG. 2 toshow the parts contained therein.

In an alternate embodiment, wheels 112 are powered and directed by adrive unit (not shown) such as a motor. The motor is either controlledremotely by an operator or locally by an onboard navigation system. Itis contemplated that the scanning system (discussed below) providesnavigational input to the navigation system, allowing the device 100 tomove around the room during the disinfection process in a computedmanner calculated to eliminate shadow areas.

An aperture in the removable panel 116 is provided to expose an antenna118, useable to communicate with a device, such as a smartphone,utilizing the control application. The antenna 118 may be configured tosupport any wireless communication technology such as IR, radio waves,WLAN, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth®. Wireless is preferred to tethered as thedevice 100 is preferably operated in a room without human presence, asUV radiation can be harmful to humans. The antenna 118 is in data-flowcommunication with a control circuit 119.

Just above the antenna 118 is a portal 120 for a retractable cord 122(see FIG. 1). The cord 122 may be collected on a spring-loaded,ratcheting spool below the portal 120.

Also below the portal, centered in the bottom of the base assembly, is afan 124. Fan 124 works in conjunction with a fan in the cap assembly 200(discussed below), to create a steady stream of cooling air through thelamp assembly 150.

FIG. 3 shows the base assembly 110 with some of the components removedso that the electronic control circuit board 130 and the lamp ballasts132 are shown. The control circuit board 130 runs an algorithm thatallows multiple devices 100 to detect each other and their respectivelocations in a room, as well as other objects, and the control circuitboard 130 then uses this information to compute exposure times that areinversely proportional to these distances.

The control circuit board 130 also controls motor 154 (discussed below)to adjust the speed of rotation of the lamp assembly 150 to achievedesired energy densities on room surfaces. This differential rotation ofthe lamp assembly 150 allows devices 100 to normalize exposure on roomsurfaces, thereby ensuring that all surfaces achieve approximately equalexposure. This results in minimum total exposure times to treat a roomor an area of a room. The algorithms run by the circuit board 130further factor the locations of other devices 100 and the energy thosedevices 100 are contributing to the energy falling into any given areain the room. The exposure times are then adjusted for each device 100 toaccount for the additive exposure from multiple towers to result in aminimized exposure time used to sanitize the room.

The base assembly 110 is attached to the lamp assembly 150 with a swivelconnector 152, best shown in FIG. 4. The swivel connector 152 allows thelamp assembly 150 to rotate in relation to the base assembly 110. Amotor 154 is mounted on the base assembly 110 and attached via a drivemechanism 156 to the lamp assembly 150, such that the motor 154, whenactivated, causes rotation of the lamp assembly 150 relative to the baseassembly 110. The drive mechanism 156 is shown as a belt-drive in FIG.4, but one skilled in the art would recognize that motors can beconfigured to drive objects using gears, belts, chains, worm-drives, orother mechanisms, all considered to be included as embodiments of theinvention.

The lamp assembly 150 also includes at least one lamp 160, as seen inFIG. 5. The number of lamps 160 may be determined by the intendedapplication and desired bulbs available. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5shows three lamps 160. In one or more embodiments of the invention, thelamps emit UV-C light. Though the lamps 160 shown utilize existingfluorescent UV-C technology, one skilled in the art will realize thatadvancements in UV-C lamps could result in a variety of lamps being usedwith the invention.

Behind the lamps 160 is a reflector 162. The reflector 162 wraps aroundthe lamps 160 in order to focus and concentrate the light emitted fromthe lamps 160 in a desired direction. The reflector 162 may beparabolic, catenary, semi-circular, circular, or other curves, dependingon the desired reflective result and/or the placement of the lamps. Forexample, a parabolic reflector, with the lamps located approximatelyclose to the parabolic focal point, would result in a relatively narrow,focused (collimated) beam. Such a beam increases the intensity of UVradiation in a desired direction.

If desired, it is possible to incorporate a flatter reflector, such as asemi-sphere or catenary reflector. In this regard, a flexible reflector162 may be provided that is connected to the device 100 in a manner thatallows the curve of the reflector to be adjusted based on the desiredapplication.

Alternatively, beam adjustment or focusing could be accomplished byadjusting the lamp position relative to the reflector to create a “zoom”function that would allow the beam to be either more or less tightlyfocused.

At the bottom of the lamp assembly 150, a lower planar reflector 164(FIG. 2) is optionally provided. The planar reflector 164 may be angleddownwardly, as shown, to scavenge the UV energy that would otherwise bedirected onto the floor, where disinfection is typically less critical,and direct it upward into higher areas of the room.

Similarly, at the top of the lamp assembly 150, is an upper planarreflector 166 (FIG. 5). The upper planar reflector 166, like the lowerplanar reflector 150, is angled to scavenge the UV energy that wouldotherwise be directed at the ceiling onto areas where human contact ismore likely. The upper planar reflector 166 also includes an aperture170.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown the cap assembly 200 of theinvention. The cap assembly is oriented on top of the lamp assembly 150and includes a sensor mechanism 210 and a cooling mechanism 220.

The sensor mechanism 210 includes a sensor 212 and a sensor drivemechanism 214. The sensor 212 may be any suitable sensor mechanism.Non-limiting examples include laser sensors, and IR (infra-red) sensors.The sensor 212 is used to scan the room to analyze distances to varioussurfaces and provide input as to the location of objects in the room.The data provided by the sensor 212 may be used to calculate potentialshadow areas as well as necessary treatment times and powers. The sensor212 may also include a motion detection capability, which detectsmovement prior to the activation of the devices 100 and aborts thetreatment initiation in the event that motion is detected just beforethe treatment. Sensor 212 is shown in FIG. 6 as a single sensor.However, the sensor 212 may incorporate multiple sensing modalities.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 also includes a sensor drive mechanism214. The sensor drive mechanism 214 attaches the sensor 212 to the capassembly 200 and moves the sensor 212 up and down through the aperture170 of the upper planar reflector 166.

The cap assembly 200 also includes a cooling mechanism 220 in the formof a fan. The cooling mechanism 220, when energized, creates airflowaround the lamps 160 to draw heat away from them.

FIG. 7 shows three devices 100 connected together with linkingconnectors 300. Linking connectors 300 include a base 302 and a handle304. The bases 302 are shaped to be placed over two adjacent casters112, on either side of the devices 100, totaling four casters, to locktwo devices 100 together. The handle 304 provides a place to grab andlift the connector 300 and set it down over the casters 112. Using thelinking connectors 300, a chain of devices 100 can be formed, allowing asingle person to move multiple devices 100 easily.

Although the invention has been described in terms of particularembodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in lightof this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modificationswithout departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of theclaimed invention. For example, the device 100 described above includesa lamp assembly 150 that rotates relative to the base assembly 110.However, one skilled in the art would realize that the lamps 160 couldbe fixed relative to the base assembly 110 and the reflector 162 couldbe configured to rotate around the lamps 160. Accordingly, it is to beunderstood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered byway of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and shouldnot be construed to limit the scope thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of disinfecting a designated areacomprising: placing a plurality of independently placeable, verticallyelongated energy emitters in said designated area, each having avertically elongated rotatable reflector that curves around its emitterto reflect energy from said emitter into a concentrated beam, can rotatecompletely around the emitter, and can change a direction energy isemitted from said emitters; using sensors equipped to each emitter todetermine locations of other emitters; communicating rotation speedsand/or rotation ranges of each emitter to each of the other emitters;controlling said reflectors by varying a rotation speed and/or rotationrange while said reflectors are rotating to sweep said beam in one ortwo sweeping directions over various surfaces to ensure surfaces in saiddesignated area receive a minimum exposure time in which energy from atleast one of said emitters is directed onto said surfaces to disinfectsaid surfaces based on said determined locations.
 2. The method of claim1 further comprising normalizing exposure times on said surfaces.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 wherein normalizing exposure times on said surfacescomprises ensuring all of said surfaces receive approximately equalenergy amounts.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein normalizing exposuretimes on said surfaces further comprises adjusting rotation speeds ofsaid reflectors to account for additive exposure from each of saidplurality of energy emitters for a given surface.
 5. The method of claim1 wherein controlling said reflectors comprises changing positions ofsaid reflectors to direct energy onto surfaces in said designated area.6. The method of claim 1 wherein controlling said reflectors compriseschanging a rate of rotation of said reflectors.
 7. The method of claim 1wherein controlling said reflectors comprises changing a shape of saidreflectors to change a focus of said energy emitted from said emitters.8. A method of disinfecting a designated area comprising: placing aplurality of vertically-oriented, independently placeable elongateenergy emitters in said designated area, each having a beam of energyemitted from said emitters and a sensor that measures distances to otherobjects in said area and to each of said plurality of emitters;establishing communications between the plurality of emitters and acontroller such that rotations speed and/or rotations ranges of each ofsaid emitters is able to be compiled to calculate a calculated exposuretime; directing said beams from each of said plurality of emitters ontosurfaces at varying speeds and/or rotation ranges to ensure surfaces insaid designated area receive a minimum exposure time in which energyfrom at least one of said emitters is directed onto said surfaces todisinfect said surfaces based on said distances and said calculatedexposure time; wherein said beams are created by a plurality of curvedreflectors associated with said plurality of emitters such that each ofthe plurality of emitters has a curved reflector that can rotatecompletely and continually around the energy emitter at varying speedsand directions.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising normalizingexposure times on said surfaces.
 10. The method of claim 9 whereinnormalizing exposure times on said surfaces comprises ensuring all ofsaid surfaces receive approximately equal energy amounts.
 11. The methodof claim 10 wherein normalizing exposure times on said surfaces furthercomprises rotating said beams at varying speeds to account for additiveexposure from each of said beams from said plurality of energy emittersfor a given surface.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein directing saidbeams comprises changing positions of the reflectors to direct energyonto surfaces in said designated area.
 13. The method of claim 8 whereindirecting said beams comprises changing a rate of rotation of saidbeams.
 14. The method of claim 8 wherein directing said beams compriseschanging a shape of said reflectors to change a focus of said beams fromsaid emitters.
 15. A method of disinfecting a surface comprising:determining a minimum amount of energy needed to disinfect a surface;using a plurality of independently placeable vertical energy emitterseach having a curved reflector capable of rotating continually aroundthe energy emitter to direct a beam of energy onto said surface for anamount of time; calculating a total amount of energy received by saidsurface from said plurality of emitters based on a rate of energyemission of each of said plurality of emitters a number of sweeps ofsaid beam of energy onto said surface, and a distance from each of saidplurality of emitters to said surface as measured by each of saidplurality of emitters and communicated to a controller; wherein saidcontroller automatically adjusts a direction and/or rotations speed ofeach of said beams with to ensure said total amount is greater than orequal to said minimum amount.
 16. The method of claim 15 whereincalculating said total amount of energy comprises using a plurality ofscanners, each scanner connected to one of said plurality of emitters,to measure said distance to said surface.
 17. The method of claim 15wherein controlling said beams comprises rotating said beams.
 18. Themethod of claim 17 wherein controlling said beams further comprisescontrolling a rate of rotation of said beams.